The Fine Line Between Romance and Romanticized in “It Ends With Us”

Anyone who has scrolled on TikTok has heard of the viral book It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. Famously known for its quirky main character and hard-hitting storyline, Hoover has created an ever-growing fanbase following the journey of her novel reaching all parts of the world. 

Image Courtesy: Getty Images for Sony Pictures

Just in case you’ve been living under a rock and have not heard of the book, It Ends With Us is the story of Lily Bloom. It follows Lily’s journey as a teen living with her abusive father and falling in love with Atlas, a boy who finds himself homeless after his mother kicks him out. Switching from past to present perspectives, she falls in love as an adult with Ryle, her main “love” interest. Throughout dating and eventually marrying Ryle, she becomes a victim of domestic violence at his hands while simultaneously reconnecting with Atlas. The book follows her journey of escaping Ryle’s abuse and learning to heal. 

After going viral on most social media platforms, the book was announced as an upcoming movie adaptation in July 2019. The main question on everyone’s mind was: will they be able to do the book justice? 

Since then, the movie has been released in theaters and quickly became one of the biggest events on social media. Some people said they loved every moment of it, and others had some questions. The novel has been misleadingly marketed as a romance book for years despite the fact the story follows a girl experiencing domestic violence, which is not romantic. However, there is a subplot between Lily and another character, but that is not the story's goal. So why is it that when the movie was announced, it continued to disregard the most important aspect of the plot? 

Image Courtesy: Nicole Rivelli / Sony Pictures

For many, It Ends With Us was a novel that made them feel seen. It had the potential to be a compelling and heartbreaking story about the reality of domestic violence. However, the movie was a romanticized depiction both on and off-screen. 

Before and after the movie premiered in theaters, the promotion of the film caused a lot of concern about whether or not it would represent domestic violence the way it should be. Everyone has seen the pictures of the costuming and its criticism, but that is another story. 

Pre-premiere movie promotion gave the idea that the film would be a lighthearted story about a girl who opens a gothic flower shop and falls in love. It faced much criticism because producers failed to warn people about the potentially triggering moments. Movie posters, Instagram posts, and TikTok videos gave the impression that it was more of a rom-com than a drama surrounding domestic violence. Blake Lively even went as far as to say, “Grab your friends and wear your florals” during an interview. 

The romanticization of this film created a war within the minds of those watching. Ryle has a tragic past. He’s misunderstood. He has trauma. But does that justify his abusive nature? No. Not only does it cause many to feel as though they can sympathize with the abuser, but question how Lily was able to stomach having her newborn child near him at all, despite him being the father. Ryle was presented as someone who could still be loved by the audience when it should have been the opposite. 

Domestic violence is a tragic experience that, on average, over 12 million men and women face every year. The movie had the potential to be better than the book and represent domestic violence in a realistic and eye-opening way. Instead, it furthered the misunderstood man-to-abuser pipeline and put a rose-tinted filter over a character that is just plain evil. 

Strike Out, 

Madi Denizard 

Boca Raton 

Madi Denizard is a content writer for Strike Magazine Boca. In typical Leo fashion, she is a social butterfly and loves self-expression of all kinds. When she’s not writing, you can find her with her nose stuck in a book, mermaiding in the ocean or crocheting her newest masterpiece. You can reach her by email at madison.denizard@gmail.com or on Instagram @mpaigee_